The Los Angeles Lakers are scrambling right now, trying to find a “workable trade” to ship out Dalton Knecht before the regular season kicks off on Tuesday. Last week, Jake Fischer spilled the beans on “exploratory trade discussions” with the Milwaukee Bucks, a deal that would send Knecht out and bring Jericho Sims back to LA to help with their roster crunch.
LA’s Desperate Search for a Big Man
It’s not just Sims on their radar, either. Marc Stein confirmed the Lakers spent the entire weekend trying to move Knecht, hoping to nab a big man in return. They need to trim their roster from 16 guaranteed contracts down to 15. Stein laid it out straight: “If no trade can be found, they’ll have to waive Knecht (or someone else) by the cut-down buzzer.” Talk about being up against the wall, right? The pressure is on to make a move, or someone’s getting the boot just as things are heating up for the season.
Knecht’s Short, Disappointing Run
Remember when Knecht first popped off? He delighted fans early in his rookie year, even dropping a 37-point explosion against the Utah Jazz and starting a handful of games. But man, how quickly things change. His playing time quickly dried up, and he was completely out of the 2024-25 playoff rotation. Last season was another shot at minutes, but he struggled big time, becoming a non-factor by year’s end. We’re talking just 107 minutes logged from February onward, including the playoffs. His jumper was supposed to be his big thing out of college, but in the NBA, he’s just a “good outside shooter,” hitting 36.8% from three through two seasons. Combine that with a serious lack of strength and lateral mobility that just kills his defense, plus he’s no threat as a passer or off-the-dribble scorer, and you’ve got a player who just can’t stick. His “rigid offensive skill-set and detrimental defense” mean he just hasn’t carved out a consistent role. For a guy like him, you’d need to be an “elite shooter” to make up for those holes, and he just isn’t.
A Front Office Failure in the Making?
This isn’t some late-round gamble we’re talking about here. Knecht was picked 17th overall in the 2024 draft. Him not panning out? That’s a “sharp indictment of the Lakers’ front office.” He and Jalen Hood-Schifino are the only two top-20 picks the Lakers have made since 2020, and neither of them has become a “legitimate contributor” on their rookie contracts. This whole situation screams “team-building failures” and points directly to why the Lakers haven’t been “actual title contenders” in that span. If they can’t develop top draft picks, how are they ever going to build a sustained winner?
So, the Lakers have until Tuesday to figure this out. They need a big man, and Knecht is the guy they’re trying to move. Will they find that “workable trade” or are they just going to cut bait? Either way, it’s a messy start to the season for LA, highlighting some real issues with their long-term strategy.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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